Archives

Pixelated pictures and cartoonish drawings have typically dominated the world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), but some exhibits at Hong Kong’s Xperience art fair show new means of applying the technology.

Europe’s new MiCA framework for regulating crypto shows the good that can happen when government works with and not against the industry, writes Nick Saponaro of Divi Labs.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Aptos launch falls short. Why FTX chief is calling for crypto regulations. Is Hong Kong paving way for a retail CBDC?

Bitcoin posted a three-week high in afternoon trading in the Asia time zone. Ether led gains across all top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with a 12% surge. Cardano’s ADA and Solana’s token also registered double-digit gains.

Meta is collaborating with a Taiwan LGBT advocacy group and a local cryptocurrency exchange to issue charity NFTs as part of the Taiwan Pride celebration.

Lawmakers in the British Parliament’s lower house voted in favor of recognizing cryptocurrency assets as regulated financial instruments and products Tuesday.

The lead counsel for the plaintiff in the case has called Friday’s ruling a decision with implications for the global blockchain industry

The Australian Government has clarified that cryptocurrency will continue to be taxed as an asset class instead of a foreign currency in its 2022 budget released on Tuesday.

Survey reveals popularity of crypto ownership among voters, their hopes for the industry’s growing potential and the need for regulation to protect consumers.

South Korea’s Busan signs agreements global cryptocurrency exchanges Crypto.com and Gate.io to grow the city’s blockchain ecosystem.

Bitcoin was trading above US$20,000 for the first time in almost three weeks on Wednesday morning trading in Asia.

Family offices and high net worth individuals (HNWI) will drive the adoption of digital assets across Asia, according to a joint report by professional services firm KPMG China and Hong Kong-based crypto asset management platform Aspen Digital. See related article: Hong Kong, BIS explore CBDC-backed stablecoins in retail prototype Fast facts The report, largely based […]

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX will reimburse US$6 million lost by users in a phishing attack over the weekend, according to founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

Cryptocurrency was created to be accessible to the masses. So why are retail investors getting shut out from the best analytical and trading tools?

Bitcoin dipped in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, but held above the US$19,000 support line where it has been fluctuating for several weeks.

A lack of regulations means anyone can say bad things about crypto to stir up fear — and push you to sell. Even if they stand to make money from your losses.

Institutional adoption of Web3 in finance means getting traditional banks involved, which will in turn reshape the way banks work, says SC Ventures’ Alex Manson.

Why has Ripple Labs been in the U.S. SEC’s crosshairs and what’s the difference between Ripple and XRP?

After Solana’s Magic Eden marketplace said it was bowing to pressure and making payment of royalties “optional” to NFT creators, industry insiders tell Forkast the policy is wrongheaded and damaging.

JP Morgan Chase has hired former Celsius executive Aaron Lovine as executive director of digital assets regulatory policy, the latest move in the bank’s oscillating regard for the crypto industry.  See related article: JPMorgan Chase executive says crypto usage for payments decreasing   Fast facts A JPMorgan spokesperson confirmed the appointment after Lovine, who headed policy […]

A Twitter user highlighted a vulnerability in BitBTC’s Optimism bridge and averted what could have been the latest in a string of bridge exploits this month.

Fidelity Digital Assets will allow clients to trade Ether from Oct. 28, according to a company email shared by Fidelity’s customers via Twitter. See related article: Fidelity considers Bitcoin trading on brokerage platform: WSJ Fast facts Institutional investors will be able to buy, sell and trade ETH, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. “With the […]

In a Q&A with Forkast, First Digital Trust Chief Executive Officer Vincent Chok shared his views on Hong Kong getting back into crypto, regulations, and how the crypto pie in Asia is big enough for rivals Singapore and Hong Kong.

Kwon Do-hyung, the cofounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd., also known as Do Kwon, left Singapore last month and landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, South Korean prosecutors confirmed with Forkast.

The crypto sector operates mainly in English, but more than 6 billion people — many of whom crypto would benefit the most — use other languages, writes Wei Zhou of Coins.ph.

Bitcoin and Ether both fell in Thursday morning trading in Asia and with the exception of stablecoins, all other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization lost ground.

Bitcoin fell in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia along with the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, with XRP holders suffering the steepest losses at 3.93%.

Kwon has been issued with an Interpol “red notice” requesting his extradition on charges brought by South Korea related to the implosion of the Terra Luna cryptocurrency project he founded

The blockchain network was built by former members of the Meta stablecoin project, with well-known investors and considerable buzz as the new ‘Solana killer.’

German crypto bank Nuri (formerly known as Bitwala) has asked customers to withdraw their funds by Dec. 18 so that the “business can be terminated and liquidated.”

This isn’t the first time the bloc has examined cracking down on Bitcoin mining, and it comes amid a growing push from regulators to examine the industry’s carbon footprint.

An unidentified hacker stole over US$1 million in Binance Coin (BNB) tokens from decentralized multi-chain wallet BitKeep’s token swap service on Monday, according to a Tuesday statement by the company. See related article: Crypto hackers on track for bonanza year as theft surges, Chainalysis says Fast facts “Our development team managed to contain the emergency […]

Bitcoin and Ether both fell in Wednesday morning trading in Asia amid news the European Union is considering a bill to restrict the mining of energy-intensive cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. Most of the rest of the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also declined, with the exception of Polygon. See related article: Bitcoin, […]

“No finders keepers’ law”: Coinbase considers legal action against some 1,000 users in east Europe’s Georgia who took advantage of a pricing glitch on the platform.

Hong Kong seems set to put out a new welcome mat for the blockchain and crypto industries, but will it work after concern about regulatory restrictions convinced many cryptocurrency operators to leave?

Global payments company Mastercard intends to enable financial institutions to offer crypto services to customers with its new Crypto Source program. See related article: Binance partners Mastercard to launch card in Argentina for bill payment, everyday purchases Fast facts The program will allow financial institutions to tap into Mastercard’s partners to buy, hold and sell […]

As India prepares to begin its one-year presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) beginning Dec. 1, it will look to work toward a global, tech-driven regulatory framework for cryptocurrency, India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. See related article: India’s finance minister calls on G20 to share information on crypto Fast facts “During our engagements, […]

The market may be in the doldrums, but there’s no better time to clean house and build for the future, writes Clayton Roche of UMA. Here are 5 areas of opportunity.

Bitcoin and Ether were trading higher along with top 10 tokens by market capitalization excluding stablecoins in Monday morning trading in Asia, as the world’s largest cryptocurrency remained above US$19,000. XRP was the only token on that list to fall. See related article: Ethereum supply would have grown by 350,000 tokens under PoW Fast facts […]

A recent token launch on Ethereum pushed the network into a deflationary state and the blockchain’s shift to PoS may lower supply even further.

Decentralized finance sites are the preferred choice of hackers as crypto heists look to be on course to hit a record high this year.

Bitcoin advocates have once again launched their annual campaign to have Satoshi Nakamoto — the pseudonymous creator/s of Bitcoin — named as the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. See related article: What’s next for Binance after $100 million BNB hack? Fast facts On Oct. 10, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded […]

Bitcoin dropped 3% after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the consumer price index (CPI), a key inflation indicator, rose 0.4% in September from August.  See related article: Fed’s inflation fight batters crypto market as pressure mounts Fast facts The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization traded at US$18,432 at 10:30 p.m. Hong […]

Crypto.com said on Wednesday that the exchange will invest €150 million (US$145.5 million) in France to set up a European headquarters in Paris and expand operations in the region. See related article: Crypto.com enters South Korea market with two local startup acquisitions Fast facts The Singapore-based exchange said it will focus on compliance, business development […]

One company says it’s bringing solutions for confused investors in digital assets in India who grapple with hours of tax calculations.

Tianjin is the latest Chinese city to announce higher differential electricity rates in an effort to further discourage energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining, which the country banned in September 2021 but continues to exist in some pockets. See related article: Beijing banned crypto mining, so China miners went underground  Fast facts See related article: China takes aim […]

‘Risky or illicit’ transactions represent the highest rate of any region measured by the blockchain analytics firm.

Coin Center, a non-profit think tank on cryptocurrencies and public policy, announced Wednesday it was filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), alleging the agency overreached its authority when it sanctioned cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash in August. See related article: What is the future for cryptocurrency mixers after […]

Binance Global Inc., the operator of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, says it successfully completed a hard fork of its BNB Smart Chain (BSC) network around 5 p.m. Hong Kong on Wednesday. See related article: Binance to hard fork BNB Smart Chain amid heated debate around decentralization Fast facts A hard fork is a split […]

Bitcoin gained in Thursday morning trading in Asia, with the world’s largest cryptocurrency holding above support at US$19,000. Ether, second on the list of top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also gained. Other coins on the top 10 moving higher included Solana, XRP and Tron. Cardano fell. See related article: Binance to hard […]

Cryptocurrency exchange Blockchain.com has received in-principle approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for a license to offer “digital payment token” services in the city-state.  See related article: Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy Fast facts Blockchain.com is the second crypto exchange to earn the central bank’s in-principle approval […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Binance puts brakes on BNB Chain theft. Will quantum computing kill crypto? Huobi sells up.

South Korean media has reported that local crypto exchanges may become a “playground” for North Korean hackers.

The crypto world has been watching how one of the world’s largest blockchains responds to a hack last week and the questions it raises about the state of decentralization in the industry.

About thirty investors in India have been allegedly duped of US$54,653 through a crypto cloud mining app, local media reported.   See related article: India financial crime unit cites ‘Chinese-controlled entities’ in alleged crypto fraud Fast facts Investors from Solapur city in India’s Maharashtra state were allegedly duped by fraudsters who lured them to download the […]

District Judge Analisa Torres of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has granted I-Remit and TapJets’ requests to file amicus curiae briefs in support of Ripple Labs, following a rejection of objection by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). See related article: Ripple slams SEC’s opposition to brief motions in […]

BNB Smart Chain (BSC), the blockchain network launched by the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance, will perform a hard fork and upgrade on Wednesday as a fix following an Oct. 6 vulnerability, according to an announcement on Tuesday. See related article: BNB Chain back online after around $100 mln lost in possible exploit Fast facts […]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly probing Yuga Labs, Inc., the company behind the top-selling non-fungible token (NFT) collection Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), for its issuance of the digital assets, according to a Bloomberg report.  See related article: SEC fines Kim Kardashian US$1.26 mln for promoting EthereumMax Fast facts The report […]

Bank of New York Mellon Corp., a 238-year-old bank based in the U.S., is now allowing select U.S. clients to hold and transfer Bitcoin and Ether, the bank announced in a press release on Tuesday. See related article: Crypto self-custody is no longer a choice. It’s an imperative. Fast facts BNY Mellon will store private […]

Bitcoin fell but held above US$19,000 in Wednesday morning trading in Asia as the world’s leading cryptocurrency continued its month-long dalliance with that support level. Excluding stablecoins, most of the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization fell, led by Solana. Dogecoin was the only token on the list to gain ground. See related article: BNB […]

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., has formed a strategic Web 3.0 partnership with Google Cloud, the Nasdaq-listed exchange said in a statement on Tuesday.  See related article: Coinbase gets nod from Dutch central bank to offer crypto services Fast facts As part of the partnership, Google Cloud will allow select customers to […]

Ethereum’s supply growth entered a deflationary state on Saturday, a first for the blockchain since The Merge upgrade that shifted the network to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism in September.  See related article: Scalability is Ethereum’s post-Merge focus: Vitalik Buterin Fast facts Ether’s (ETH) burn rate has gone up along with gas fees (transaction fees) since […]

Singapore-based Coinhako cryptocurrency exchange, one of a handful to have a full license to operate in the city-state, has launched “Coinhako Treasures” to offer more products that suit the needs of institutional clients, like corporates and family offices, as it seeks to grow its institutional user base.   See related article: How a market slump may […]

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc. received a digital assets license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the firm announced Tuesday. See related article: Coinbase blames India’s central bank for exit Fast facts They were granted “in-principle approval” under the Payment Services Act to provide “regulated Digital Payment Token products and services” in Singapore, including “our […]

Bitcoin and Ether fell along with all other top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, with the world’s largest cryptocurrency barely holding at the support line of US$19,000, a mark it has fluctuated around for much of the past month. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin rises but remains below US$20,000; […]

The cryptocurrency market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to grow 10 times, according to a new report from MENA blockchain ecosystem, Crypto Oasis, released Monday at a blockchain conference organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre.  See related article: New hire in Saudi Central Bank to work on crypto regulations: report Fast […]

Cryptocurrency exchange WazirX will look to integrate India’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) “if all goes well,” vice president Rajagopal Menon told Forkast in a video interview on Monday.  See related article: RBI to begin CBDC pilots, outlines wholesale, retail concepts Fast facts “We would love to onboard the e-rupee and you can buy your […]

Regulators also targeted 23 crypto media websites and 440 bloggers.

Through quick identification and cooperation of network validators, most funds were saved in last week’s BNB Chain exploit.

Crypto exchange Huobi Global announced the formation of a five-member global advisory board after Hong Kong-based asset management firm About Capital Management purchased a majority stake of the exchange. See related article: Huobi looks to sell stake that values exchange at US$3 bln, Bloomberg reports  Fast facts See related article: Huobi is third global exchange […]

Gold bars, cash, jewelry, cars and luxury watches bought with defrauded funds are seized.

Web3 communities need to join forces with policymakers to draft rules for the next iteration of the online world, says Haun Ventures’ Tomicah Tillemann